Fibre Testing

Fibre testing characterises the physical, mechanical, chemical, and morphological properties of natural and man-made fibres that determine spinning performance, yarn quality potential, fabric properties, and end-use suitability. Testing encompasses cotton (HVI, AFIS, single-fibre strength), wool (diameter, staple strength, vegetable matter), bast fibres (fineness, tensile, retting quality), silk (degumming, lustre, filament properties), and man-made fibres (linear density, tenacity, crimp, thermal shrinkage, cross-sectional geometry). Instruments from USTER Technologies (HVI 1000, AFIS Pro 2), BSC Electronics (OFDA100), SDL Atlas, Zwick Roell, and Textechno (Favimat+, Vibromat) dominate the fibre testing instrument market. Global fibre production tested annually: cotton 26 million tonnes, polyester staple 22 million tonnes, wool 1.1 million tonnes, and 15+ million tonnes of other natural and synthetic fibres — all requiring standardised quality characterisation before entering spinning and processing supply chains. Primary standards bodies: USDA (cotton classing), IWTO (wool), ISO, ASTM, and AATCC provide the test method framework for all fibre categories.